Korea glides to fame in world figure skating

LOS ANGELES – Kim Yu-na gave South Korea its first title at the world figure skating championships on Saturday.

After her big lead in the short program, the woman known as “Queen Yu-na” at home finished with a record 207.71 points, shattering the old mark by eight points.

“Being the world champion was my dream and I did it here,” Kim said. “So it’s just amazing.”

She was more than 16 points ahead of Joannie Rochette of Canada, and beat main rival Mao Asada of Japan by almost 20.

When she saw the scores, Kim closed her eyes and shook her head. She then stood up, beaming, and waved to the cheering crowd.

“I’m sure the whole globe shook,” said Kim’s coach, two-time Olympic silver medalist Brian Orser. “The whole country of Korea must be elated.” (AP)